Feed flow adjusting mechanism



April 24, 1962 1 L. JOHNSON 3,030,919

FEED FLOW ADJUSTING MECHANISM Filed March 4, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ana/way HMM,

April 24, 1962 L. JOHNSON I FEED FLOW ADJUSTING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1960 Lloyd L. Jahr/san INVENTOR. BY awy M.

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United States Patent O 3,030,919 FEED FLOW ADJUSTING MECHANISM Lloyd L. Johnson, Rte. 3, Elmore City, Okla. Filed Mar. 4, 1960, Ser. No. 12,848 1 Claim. (Cl. 119-53) This invention relates to feeders and more particularly to operational and structural improvements in feeders.

An object of the invention is to provide a feeder of the type which includes a supply hopper with one or more discharge openings controlling by movable vanes, with a simply used and very effective means for actuating the movable vanes. By so moving the vanes, the effective size of the discharge opening or openings is controlled.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanically simplified and very easily used control mechanism for the sliding plate or vane of a dry feeder. Simplicity is emphasized in that the structural organization of parts includes only a few stationary and moving parts. Ease of operation is manifest in that a single swinging movement of a single control lever is all that is necessary 'to adjust the control plate.

Most feeders have means for operating -a sliding plate, which are rather complex in comparison to the simple functional utility thereof. In some feeders, it is quite difficult to adjust the sliding plate and look it in a selected adjusted position. These difficulties are overcome by the feed flow adjusting mechanism in accordance with the invention.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction land operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of -a conventional feeder equipped with a control mechanism exemplifying the principles of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale and taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 4 4 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of FIGURE l.

In the accompanying drawings, there is an illustration of a portion of a feeder 10. The feeder may be constructed of a design which is generally known in the prior art, for instance, such as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,863,- 419. Such a feeder includes `a hopper 12 having side walls 14 and 1'6 together with end walls 18 and 20. The hopper has an inlet 22 defined by a casing 24 with sloping upper walls 26 and 28 which function as covers for feed bins 30 and 32. The bottom walls of the feed bins yare simply plates 36 and 38 which may be integrally joined or otherwise connected with the 11p-standing V- shaped baille 40 forming the bottom of hopper 12. A suitable leg support frame 44 is beneath the hopper and bin arrangement, and if desired, skids 46 and 48 may be used for ultimately supporting the feeder on the ground or some other supporting surface.

Side walls 14 and 16 have lower openings 50 and 52 terminating at the upper surface of the walls 36 and 3'8 of bins 32 and `30. There are two identical valve and feed control assemlies 54 and 56 for controlling the effective size of the openings 52 and 50. Mechanism 56 is shown in detail in the figures of the drawings, rand it is to be understood that the mechanism of assembly 54 is identical to the mechanism of assembly 56.

A sliding vane or gate valve 58 is mounted on the outer 3,030,919 Patented Apr. 24, 19652 ICC surface of wall 14 and is vertically movable. The valve may be made of a flat plate of rectangular form (FIG- URE l), and is elevated and lowered by the action of three lift arms 62, 63 and 64 whose lower ends are riveted as at 65 or connected by any other type of fastening device tothe Valve 58. The upper ends of the lift arms 62,` '63 and 64 are attached to crankshaft 67 by way of three crank arms 68, 69 1and 70 whose inner ends` are welded or otherwise secured to crankshaft 67 and its outer ends are pivotally connected to the upper extremities of arms 62, 63 and 64. Pivots, for instance, bolts 71, 72 and 73 may be used to establish the pivot connection between the pairs of arms, the bolts, of course, passing through openings in the pairs of arms. Arms 68, 69 and '70 pro-- ject laterally outwardly from the longitudinal axis of crankshaft 67, and when the crankshaft is turned, the arms. will be swung in :an arc to thereby lift or lower arms 62,. 63 and 64 which will have Ia corresponding lifting or lowering effect on valve 58. The ends and an intermediate part of the crankshaft are mounted for rotation in openings formed in bearing brackets 81, `82 and 83, each attached to wall 14 and projecting laterally outwardly from the plane thereof. It is preferred that the three bearing brackets 81, 82 and 83 be equally spaced. In order to facilitate manual turning movement of crankshaft 67, la laterally projecting handle S5 is fixed to the crankshaft near one end thereof so that it will be readily accessible to the user.

There are means for both constraining the movement of the valve 58 and for frictionally holding the valve in a selected adjusted position. These means are composed of four guides 87, 88, 89 and 90. Guides 87 and 83 are identical; guide 87 being shown in detail in FIGURE 5. It is simply made of a short length of an angle member which is welded, as at 91, to the inner surface of wall 20E and located adjacent to wall 14, leaving a space 92 between one flange of angle member 87 and wall 14. This space functions as a guide or guideway for one edge portion of the valve 58. Guides S9 and 90' comprise metallic clips and are identical; the guide y89 being shown in detail in FIGURE 3. It is made of a flat metal strip 94 having an offset 95 between the upper and lower ends thereof. The strip is riveted as at 96, welded or otherwise fastened to the outer surface of wall 14, and the lower open part of the strip is located close to the outer surface of wall 14 to define a passage or passageway 97 which accepts and frictionally holds the valve 58 in a selected elevated position. The guide S9 is sufficiently long so that the valve 58 always has at least a small portion thereof held captive in the passageway 97.

The use and operation of the invention have been described concurrently with the structural features thereof, however, it is specifically pointed out that a single swinging movement of handle results in a lifting or lowering of the -valve 58, and the valve is frictionally held in the selected adjusted position, requiring no locking devices of a mechanical nature. Of course, should the user so desire, the valve 58 may simply be elevated and held open by holding the handle l85, and then lowered when a suflcient quantity of feed flows from hopper 12 into the feeding bin.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modification and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

An animal feeder comprising a trough, la feed hopper` including side walls and end Walls extending laterally beyond said side walls, one of said side walls dening a feed discharge opening in the hopper communicating with the trough, a gate valve comprising :a vertically adjustable, elongated plate slidable on said one side Wall for controlling the opening, guides comprising angle members xed on the end Walls adjacent to but spaced from said one side wall and slidably receiving the end portions of the plate therebetween, means for adjusting the plate, and offset resilient clips on said one side Wall engaged with the plate and in frictional securing contact therewith securing same in adjusted position on said one side Wall, said plate adjusting means comprising brackets mounted on said one side wall above the plate, a shaft journaled on the brackets, an operating handle on said shaft, arms fixed on the shaft, and rods operatively connecting said arms to the plate.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 914,001 Withrow Mar. 2, 1909 1,333,528 Albaugh Mar. 9, 1920 2,386,010 Spivey Oct. 2, 1945 2,919,675 Beachy Jan. 5, 1960 

